Author's Note: It's just one of those days. I had an awesome idea for another story, but I want to see this one through first.
Chapter 4: Double Betrayal
Cordelia sped toward the Griffindor common room. She was so angry and hurt by Draco. This was the first time he had elicited both emotions from her. As she approached the painting of the Fat Lady, she realized that she would have to calm down. If Ron, Harry or even Hermione saw that Draco had made her so angry and hurt, they would certainly want to retaliate and she would probably let them. "Password?" The Fat lady asked.
"Pumpkin Taffy." The painting swung open and she entered the nearly empty common room. This was normal for a Saturday afternoon. Most of the students wandered the grounds or went to the library. Harry was sitting in an armchair in front of the fire, just looking into the orange flames. Cordelia crept up to his side, unsure if she would be intruding. She smiled at a memory and said, "Penny for your thoughts."
Harry started and looked up at the girl next to him. He knew that he couldn't share what he was thinking with her. From the time he left the library to just moments ago, he was thinking about her. "Nothing."
"I don't believe you. You are talking to someone who has the uncanny ability to read body language. You can tell me anything, you know?" She sat down on the floor in front of his chair. Harry joined her on the floor.
"I don't think I can tell you this. It would make things weird." Harry watched her to see if she would push farther, or even if she would guess. She was smart about these things. She had known about Ron and Hermione's attraction to each other since the first day of class. Of course, Harry had known about it for years and had wondered if the two would ever figure it out.
"The only thing you could tell me that would make things weird, is that you had fallen for . . . " She saw him tense a little. "Draco." She laughed as she saw him relax and shake his head. "That would be seriously odd to me."
"That's definitely not it. Are you sure that nothing else would make things weird?" Harry had a need to make sure.
"Harry, I know." She smiled again and took his hand. "I can see that you like me every time we are together and especially when I am with Draco." He grew very uncomfortable, but she just kept smiling. "It's really sweet. If I weren't so loyal to him, I would be with you. You have a way of making me feel so comfortable and special." She stopped and surveyed his face. He looked so terrified.
"How long have you known?" He thought that his feelings were so discrete. It made him feel so uneasy that she knew.
"Since Halloween." She kept on smiling. "Remember that dance for the sixth and seventh years?"
The Great Hall had been set up for the occasion. The long tables were removed and replaced with smaller round ones. Pumpkins and bats decorated the walls and ceiling. There was a large dance floor in front of the stage where the band played. Cordelia had assumed that she would be going with Draco, but he had told her that he would be going with Pansy Parkinson. This happened just two hours before the dance. Cordelia decided that she would go anyway. Who needed a date? Ron and Hermione went together-as friends. Harry went with Ginny Weasley. She had asked if he would take her just so she wouldn't show up alone. When the dance started, everyone with his or her respective dates started dancing. Cordelia stood to the side and watched as Draco and Parkinson groped each other. She really hated the girl.
Harry saw that she was alone. He had also assumed that she would be with Draco, but he was there with Parkinson and Cordelia was standing to the side looking dejected and ready to kill. Even with the posture she was holding, she looked beautiful. Her normally straight, blond hair was in soft curls. Her normally deep blue eyes were highlighted by light shades of gray. Her lips were ruby red. Around her neck she wore a silver necklace that bore the Jacobs family crest. The crest itself was no bigger than a small coin. The clincher was the dress she was wearing. It was just as red as her lips, strapless, and short. Somehow it had shown her body perfectly, without really showing that much. Harry excused himself from Ginny and made his way to his friend. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" He asked her in jest.
Her eyes shot to meet his. She smiled the tiniest smile imaginable. "I thought that I could have some fun without a date, and have just discovered that I can't. Not with that going on." She pointed at Draco who was now kissing the neck of Parkinson. "You know with just a wave of my hand I could send her flying halfway to the States. I've been fighting that urge."
Harry became concerned. "Would you actually do that?"
"I don't know." Her eyes had returned to the foreplay occurring on the dance floor. She knew that in just a few minutes, the two would slip out.
"You don't deserve that. If you were mine, I would never leave you feeling like this."
She suddenly looked at her friend again. His eyes told her everything. Harry Potter was falling for her. "Don't you have a date?"
"Ginny. It was just so she could come in with someone though. Do you want to dance?" Harry offered his hand and she accepted. The dance wasn't so bad after that.
"Was I really that obvious?" He asked embarrassed.
"Yes." She cocked her head to the side. This was really troubling him. "Don't worry about it. You don't have to be ashamed of it, and it doesn't change anything."
"Can I kiss you?" Harry's question came up out of the blue, but this was the only time he would be brave enough to ask. Before she could answer, he lifted her chin and brought his face closer to hers. Softly, he kissed her satin lips. Then something happened that neither of them had expected. She returned and deepened the kiss. Slowly she ran her fingers through his hair as Harry pulled her in closer to him. He began getting liberal with his hands as they ventured under the back of her shirt. The sound of the door opening caused them to break apart.
Hermione ran toward the stunned pair, obviously having not seen what was happening before. "Cordy, what happened with Malfoy?"
That was such a broad question. "What do you mean?"
"He attacked Crabbe and Goyle. Do you know why?" The idea of Malfoy attacking his two lackeys was preposterous. They were the only two, with the exception of Cordelia, that never had to fear being attacked by him.
"No!" Cordelia was surprised. What would make him do that? "Where is he?"
"Hospital wing." That was all she got to say before Cordelia sprinted out of the common room. This time she left a very confused Harry behind. Hermione turned to Harry as if asking if he wanted to go too. Harry nodded and the two ran after their friend.
Cordelia burst into the hospital wing looking for Draco. He was sitting next to the bed containing Crabbe. Goyle was nowhere to be seen. The expression on his face was sullen. All she wanted to do was make that go away. Draco looked up and saw her. They just gazed at each other until he nodded his head. She came to him and they embraced. "What happened?" She whispered in his ear.
"I don't want to talk about it now." He was content to just stroke her hair and take in that scent of lilac. He wasn't sure that she would have even cared; yet there she was with him. She cared. Even after this afternoon, she cared.
"Okay. Are you okay though? Are they okay?" She broke the embrace to look around. "Where is Goyle?" She feared the worst and panic flooded her eyes.
"Goyle is okay. He's already back in the common room. Crabbe is still unconscious. I'm waiting for him to wake up so I can make sure that he is okay. And I am in trouble, of course. But I am okay now that you are here." He stroked her cheek and gave her a lopsided smile.
"Why, Draco? Was it because of me?" She felt so guilty. She didn't know for sure because she couldn't read him. She could tell if he lied though.
"I don't want to talk about it now." His eyes watched at the door, which now was the home of two curious onlookers. He changed his mind, but decided to wait and see what she would say.
"Okay. Later though?" Draco just nodded and returned to the embrace.
"Cordy," Draco whispered into her ear, "I was just trying to think and they interrupted me and I got mad." Draco hesitated for a minute. "They said that you made me soft and I needed to prove them wrong."
"It's okay. They won't make such unfounded accusations again, will they?" Cordelia whispered back. They just stood there in each other's arms. Cordelia looked again into the grayish-blue eyes she loved. He looked so miserable in one sense and so content in another. He leaned in and kissed her. It started as one the chaste ones they both were used to, but Draco became hungrier. The kiss became more passionate. This was something both had wanted for so long.
In the doorway, Harry looked on in horror. He just stepped backwards and went swiftly went back to his room. Hermione watched with a smile on her face. Cordelia was finally getting the affection she deserved. She went to nudge Harry and realized he wasn't there anymore. Glancing once more at Cordy and Malfoy, she smiled again and left.
Author's Note: Ha! I have now officially taken care of one of my problems with the original story. And sorry, I can't help but make Draco soft right now. It makes me smile.